Episode Description: Do you have the desire to serve the veteran community? Our guest this week is retired Lieutenant Colonel Kathy Gallowitz. She is the founder and CEO of Vanguard Veteran, LLC. Additionally, Kathy is the author of Beyond “Thank You for Your Service”: The Veteran Champion Handbook for Civilians. Kathy grew up in a military family and moreover served for 29 years in the U.S. Air Force. Since her retirement, Kathy’s mission has shifted to caring for the veteran community by equipping civilians to “serve them in ways that make sense.” To that end, Vanguard Veteran provides business leaders and faith communities with resources and practical strategies to become “veteran champions.” It is Kathy’s desire to help civilians and particularly faith communities cultivate a sense of belonging, purpose, trust, and connectedness for veterans. Indeed, Kathy invites us all to “be part of the win” by serving the broad demographic of the veteran community. In this conversation, you will hear Bobby and Kathy discuss: The transitory nature of military life.What the military life looks like for the whole family.The difficulties of transitioning from the military to the civilian sector.How we need veterans and they need us.How to foster practical support, trusting relationships, and spiritual resiliency.The role of churches in helping veterans come home and heal.Cultivating authentic connectedness.Having a team mindset, and cultivating a service-over-self mentality.The need for clergy and laypeople partnership in military ministry. ____________________________________________________________ About the guest: Retired Lt. Col Kathy Gallowitz was heavily influenced by military service, growing up as a Navy ‘brat’ and serving nearly 30 years as an Air Force Officer. She is the author of "Beyond Thank You For your Service," The Veteran Champion Handbook for Civilians, and has Masters degrees in Nursing and Political Science. As an award-winning businesswoman and the Veteran-Hiring Advisor for the Arizona Society of Human Resource Management, Kathy coaches employers on how to excel in hiring and retaining Veteran talent. A highly sought-after talent pool, less than 3% of Veterans are unemployed, while more than 30% are underemployed. Kathy’s “Veteran Talent Academy” equips employers to find, fully employ and retain Veterans. Kathy also provides volunteer faith community leaders support to build Military Ministries. To cultivate mutual support, a sense of belonging, and spiritual resiliency for Service members, Veterans, and their families. About the host: Following a successful career as CEO, Bobby sold his business to a publicly-traded company. In what he calls his "second half of life", Bobby seeks to pour Biblically-based principles into growth-minded business, church, and non-profit leaders. Through Values-Driven Leadership, Bobby serves as an organization's Executive Coach and Training Consultant. He shares many of his principles and practices through a weekly blog, the True North Leader podcast, and through three books he has authored: Principled Profits: Outward Success Is an Inside JobTrue North Business: A Leader’s Guide to Extraordinary Growth and ImpactThe Freedom Paradox: Is Unbridled Freedom Dividing America? Find out more at valuesdrivenculture.com
